Democratic Hawaiian Rep. Tulsi Gabbard apologized Monday to Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar for pushing a report from Project Veritas that tied Omar to voter fraud after one of the main subjects of the report said he was set up.
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for Gabbard to apologize to Omar Monday after Liban Osman claimed Project Veritas purposely misrepresented him as being engaged in illegal election activities.
“.@TulsiGabbard – You, along with everyone else who amplified this fraudulent story, owe Rep. Omar a public apology,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Tuesday.
.@TulsiGabbard – You, along with everyone else who amplified this fraudulent story, owe Rep. Omar a public apology. https://t.co/20FHctFFFs
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 6, 2020
Gabbard responded to Ocasio-Cortez and Omar, saying she should have vetted the story more thoroughly.
“.@AOC @ilhanomar The issue is not about any of us. It’s about voter harvesting. Ilhan, I apologize for referencing the PV story as an example without thoroughly vetting it. Now will you support HR8285 to get rid of voter harvesting which undermines our democracy? If not, why not?”
.@AOC @ilhanmn The issue is not about any of us. It’s about voter harvesting. Ilhan, I apologize for referencing the PV story as an example without thoroughly vetting it. Now will you support HR8285 to get rid of voter harvesting which undermines our democracy? If not, why not?
— Tulsi Gabbard ???? (@TulsiGabbard) October 6, 2020
Gabbard originally tweeted Sept. 28 that Project Veritas’ report was “evidence” of ballot harvesting, despite the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announcement of Sept. 28 that there was no evidence to support Project Veritas’ claims of voter fraud.
“Project Veritas offers further evidence of the need to ban ballot harvesting,” Gabbard tweeted. “It’s not a partisan issue. It’s been abused to help both R & D candidates, including in North Carolina & California. Please help by telling your congressional rep to pass our bipartisan bill HR8285.”
Project Veritas offers further evidence of the need to ban ballot harvesting. It’s not a partisan issue. It’s been abused to help both R & D candidates, including in North Carolina & California. Please help by telling your congressional rep to pass our bipartisan bill HR8285. https://t.co/AJequVVrzc
— Tulsi Gabbard ???? (@TulsiGabbard) September 29, 2020
Project Veritas claimed the Minneapolis Ward 6 special election race was the victim of ballot harvesting and a pay-for-play scheme where voters were allegedly paid in cash for their ballots. Project Veritas also alleged that Omar was involved. (RELATED: Project Veritas Sues Oregon To Allow Undercover Reporting)
Osman, who was allegedly working on behalf of his brother Jamal Osman in the special election, allegedly said in a Snapchat video that he had “300” “absentees’ ballots,” which is ballot harvesting, according to Project Veritas.
In another video, Omar Jamal, a Project Veritas insider, interviewed an alleged ballot harvester in the community, who said he was paid by Omar’s campaign to vote in the special election.
However, Osman said he was offered a $10,000 bribe from Project Veritas to say he was collecting ballots for Omar. Osman also added that Project Veritas used the Snapchat videos to make him look guilty, according to Fox 9.
He also said that despite claiming he had 300 ballots in the car he really had closer to 20, according to the Fox 9 report.
Osman said the Snapchat videos, which Project Veritas used as evidence to show ballot harvesting, were recorded in late July, when collecting more than three ballots (ballot harvesting) was temporarily permitted.
Project Veritas denied Osman’s claims that they bribed him and said Osman incriminated himself with the Snapchat videos, which were allegedly from July 2, when ballot harvesting was still illegal.
“Fox 9 left the truth on the cutting room floor,” Project Veritas Founder James O’Keefe said in a video Tuesday, denying Osman’s allegations.
“These are wild, and crazy, and baseless accusations,” Jered Ede, chief legal officer of Project Veritas said, according to Fox 9. “This, to me, is a man [Osman] who is drowning in the consequences of his own actions, who is trying to grasp at every possible straw to keep himself from going under.”